Carroll County Buys New Salt Spreader

The recent addition of a 9-ton salt spreader to the Carroll County Public Works Department will make it easier and safer for county crews to keep the local highways and byways clear of ice should Old Man Winter rear his ugly head again.

The spreader, which has been attached to a county-owned Mack truck, arrived last week, and according to the National Weather Service, it came just in time. Forecasts for Wednesday night and Thursday morning show that Carroll County could see between one to two inches of snow, sleet and rain, and the wintery mix has the potential to make for dangerous driving conditions.

“Motorists can expect slippery roads and are advised to use caution and slow down,” according to the National Weather Service.

Should the forecast play out as predicted, the addition of the large salt spreader will certainly show dividends for residents who don’t have the luxury of staying home and waiting for the roads to thaw, said Charles Pope, public works superintendent.

“It should definitely make a big difference,” Pope said. “It will certainly help us keep the roads that much safer.”

The county currently has two smaller salt spreaders that can be attached to pickup trucks, but they can only hold 150 lbs of salt apiece, Pope said. The new spreader has the capability of spreading 9 tons of salt in one load, which equates to roughly nine road miles. To increase traction on icy roads, the salt will be combined with both sand and a fine-gravel mixture.

When a winter storm hits, Pope said, major thoroughfares and intersections receive immediate attention, and once those areas are cleared, crews move to the back roads.

Within the next month or so, the county will add a second large salt spreader, which will provide additional support for public works crews working to keep the roads free of potentially-treacherous ice.

Not only will the large-load salt spreader make roads less hazardous for motorists, but it will also provide protection for county crews. In the past, some roads in the county were salted manually, which required employees to stand by the road to lay down the salt, exposing them to passing cars that could lose control because of the ice. The new salt spreader will alleviate this potential risk in the future.

Commission Chairman Bill Chappell said that while crews did a wonderful job clearing the roads following the snow and ice storm several weeks ago, the new spreader will make them that much more effective in the coming months and years. The main reason there were so few accidents during the most-recent winter storm was because residents stayed off the roads, and Chappell said that if the county sees similar snow and ice in the coming days, residents should try to stay home if at all possible.

“Our folks did a really good job in this most recent storm, and we’re trying to put things in place to do an even better job in the future,” Chappell said. “Carroll County is a big county. We’ve got 900 miles of roads. This will make it easier for us to hit as many as possible.”

Below is a list of phone numbers for various utility and government agencies that can be reached should the weather turn bad. If you have an emergency, call 911.

City Halls:

Bowdon - 770-258-8990

Bremen - 770-537-2331

Carrollton - 770-830-2000

Mt. Zion - 770-832-1622

Roopville - 770-854-8616

Temple - 770-562-3369

Villa Rica - 678-785-1000

Whitesburg - 770-832-1184

Fire & Rescue

Carroll County - 770-830-5880

Carrollton - 770-832-3456

Gas Leaks:

Atlanta Gas Light Company - 770-907-4231

Law Enforcement:

Bowdon Police Department - 770-258-3301

Bremen Police Department - 770-537-4441

Carroll County Sheriff's Office - 770-830-5888

Carrollton Police Department - 770-834-4451

Georgia State Patrol for Carroll & Douglas counties - 770-459-3661

Mt. Zion Police Department - 770-832-1622

Temple Police Department - 770-562-3151

Villa Rica Police Department - 770-459-5149

Whitesburg Police Department - 770-832-1184

Power Outages:

Carroll EMC Power - 770-832-6979

Georgia Power - 1-888-891-0938

Water and Sewer Issues:

Bowdon Public Works - 770-258-8992

Bremen Public Works - 770-537-5780

Carroll County Water Authority - 770-832-1277

Carrollton Dept. of Public Works - 770-830-2016

Temple Water & Sewer Emergencies - 770-563-3369 ext. 300

Villa Rica Utilities Customer Service - 678-785-1013